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Fiasp Insulin. The New Kid on the Block

It has been a long time since the diabetes world has seen a new rapid-acting insulin brought to market. The last one that I can remember was Apidra released back in 2004. It is not surprising then that the release of Fiasp by NovoNordisk is creating a lot of buzz.

Not to be left out, my son recently began using this insulin. Since Fiasp insulin is the new kid on the block, I thought I would give everyone a brief rundown on the highs and lows associated with it.

What is Fiasp?

Fiasp insulin was released by NovoNordisk onto the Canadian market in March of 2017. Many of us scrambled to get a prescription because it promised better blood glucose levels without pre-bolusing for meals! According to the press release, you can dose up to two minutes before a meal and up to 20 minutes after starting a meal without compromising overall glycemic control or safety!*

How is it different?

A Medscape article states that Fiasp is absorbed twice as fast as its counterparts. It does this with the help of two excipients–Vitamin B3 is responsible for the increase in the speed of absorption and Amino Acid (L-Arginine) has been added for extra stability.**

But what do Fiasp users think?

All of this science is great but most people are wondering how well it works in real life settings. From what I have seen, the bulk of users really like it. I could only find one person out of about a dozen users who had returned to their old insulin aspart.

When I asked my son for his review I was told “I still have highs. I still have lows BUT if I have a heavy carb loaded meal, Fiasp kicks butt and I don’t have the same crazy swings that I always did before.” For a 19-year-old who can definitely binge on carbs, this is huge.

Other users seem to have had similar results.

Some people with diabetes found that the insulin peaks were no longer as pronounced. They had some difficulty battling highs with Fiasp however while others found it perfect for corrections. In fact, some people are purchasing Fiasp just for corrections.

Other users explained that faster insulin action allowed them to more quickly respond to rising blood glucose levels. This, in turn, meant resulted in much tighter control. The quick action has also left one user to caution about the timing of any pre-bolus.

Most seemed to agree that Fiasp insulin resulted in fewer food spikes and more stable blood glucose levels but as I said not everyone loves it. For some users, their traditional rapid-acting insulin seemed to work better.

Final thoughts…

All in all, most people with diabetes who are trying the new kid on the block seem to be happy with it. It offers another insulin choice for those who struggled with post-meal spikes or don’t pre-bolus meals.

It must also be noted however that while Fiasp is not currently approved for use in insulin pumps in Canada, both those on insulin pumps and MDI are using this insulin aspart.

I was also happy to see that the price of Fiasp insulin was par with NovoRapid. This meant that there was no need to worry about an increased cost for out of pocket insulin expenses. My understanding is that Fiasp insulin is not yet on many (or any) provincial formularies. This most likely will mean that if you decide to use the insulin and are currently using a publicly funded program, you may have to either pay for this insulin out of pocket or speak to your doctor about having special authorization added to your benefits to ensure full coverage.

Please remember to check with your diabetes team before starting any new insulin regimen.

9 thoughts on “Fiasp Insulin. The New Kid on the Block”

Thanks for the review. I have 2 vials in my fridge that I bought Monday. I expect our extended health benefits to cover the cost. Fiasp is not on the ODB P or Trillium . . . yet. I wonder how it will affect the blood glucose of people with cgms who know how to use the cgms effectively (with superboluses). I rarely get a bg over 10.0 [180]. Yesterday was a personal best for control: 27 units of insulin, no significant highs and no lows. We usually take between 45 & 54 units of insulin, but my husband has been working hard getting the yard ready and the boats ready for our vacation at the lake. Also, the last 2 days have had very high temperatures: over 90 on Sunday and well into the 80s yesterday. Summer usually means faster acting insulin.

Wow Dianna .. $68 for 2 vials of FIASP !!! Wow. Here in Cornwall i had to wheel and deal the price (no prescription needed and my endo doesn’t want me using it yet .. ha!ha! She’s not used to a client who thinks an A1c under 6 isn’t low … I’m teaching her some diabetics can attain that without lows… and just having tight control). What pharmacy did you go to in Kingston? Here in Cornwall I got it for $45.11 after initially being told it would be $40 with or without a prescription. Have fun on the water at your cottage!!!

Insulin only really requires a prescription if you want to write it off on your taxes or claim in under insurance.
I believe the injection designation is simply what was filed with Health Canada and would require a separate process to add pumps. Of the pumpers using it, I am not hearing any issues personally.

Hi
Actually loved Fiasp in the pump, for the first couple of months
It now seems like I’m having unexplained highs and chasing sugars all day
The stinging and infusion set prices (changing every 48 hrs)have turned me off

Is all of this worth it? I’m going back to nova rapid and may use Fiasp by injection for weird highs

It’s also making me extremely hungry constantly because of its rapid action. I’m off it. Its too much work
😀

I”ve been on Fiasp for slightly over a year now. I’m changing the sets every 2 days or so certainly. I’m not chasing highs though. Also, my dh maybe because his bg is in range most of the time is eating less although he never was an out-of-control eater. I’m not treating lows caused by over correcting when I was on Apidra. I love Fiasp! I don’t know what our insurance company is going to say about the extra sets though. ADP only gives us $2,400 for all supplies and I’d say we need another $1,500 to cover all insulin pump supplies.

I have taken the insulin 10 units 3 times daily and after one week I am experiencing a terrible allergic reaction. My all body, especially my upper part is a complete warzone of hives and is now two long and restless days. I went to mu Primery Doctor and prescribed